Alexis Deodato S. Itao, a Ph.D. in Philosophy student from the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School presented a paper at the recently concluded 2023 Societas Ethica Philosophica, Inc. (SEPI) International Conference on Christian Philosophy, Sustainability, and Development in the Philippines and Southeast Asia held at Silliman University, Dumaguete City from September 28 to 30, 2023.
He presented “The Philosophical Art of Living: An Anatomy of the Care of the Self in the Later Foucault.” In the paper, Itao examines the notion of the care of the self and presents it as an aggregate philosophical art of living by synthesizing and putting together into a coherent whole of Foucault’s dispersed ideas about the ancient practice from his later works.
The SEPI International Conference was an event that brought together scholars and practitioners from different fields to discuss the intersection of Christian philosophy, sustainability, and development in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The SEPI organized the conference in partnership with the Center for Philosophy and the Humanities and the Research Institute for Culture and Language of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (ICLS-PUP) and the Department of Philosophy of Silliman University.
Itao’s presentation was well-received by the audience, and they were particularly interested in his insights on how Foucault’s ideas on the care of the self can be applied to the context of Christian philosophy and sustainable development in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Itao is a Ph.D. student whose research interests include Christian philosophy, hermeneutics, ethics, and ancient philosophy.